Monday, October 26, 2015

Being Country Isn't About Your Truck

Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog Straight Southern! As of today this is my first official post on SS. I have pre-posted some revised versions of previous articles that I have written in order to provide you with more content to read, so feel free to check out the rest of the site! Thanks again for reading! Please leave comments!!! :)

So today I wanted to talk a bit about being yourself. We all see the posts and inspirational pictures and stories posted on social media in order to promote self worth and a positive body image (usually the type accompanied by a beautiful landscape picture, much like the ones found in the school counselor's office.) But how much of those sayings and pictures do we really take to heart? It sounds good, but do we apply it to ourselves? Do we find that we are worth as much as we are told we are? Chances are you don't, and that's the cold truth. I'd say 90 percent of the population male and female don't credit themselves for who they and what they're worth.
I'm here to tell you that your truck, your salary, your house and your clothes don't determine your self worth but they do define you. Does that mean you should be ashamed of who you are because you don't have a nice car, house or job above minimum wage? No, you've got to start somewhere!
Someone said to me the other day that I claim I'm "country" yet I wear jewelry, converse (i.e. skate shoes), skinny jeans, wear dark makeup and listen to the occasional rap song and said that I'm "about as country as Justin Bieber." Now if you ask me not only was that incredibly judgmental but that person succeeded in stereotyping not only me, their-self and every other person claiming to be "country" out there.
Being "country" doesn't really have an exact definition, we live in a country for God's sake, but the urban definition defines it as someone that is "backwoods, redneck, doesn't live in the city, rides horses, was born and raised in the country, drives a jacked up truck" and the list goes on. Pretty shallow if you ask me...
Yeah, I wear skinny jeans and dress like a skater sometimes. Why? Because I like to skate, I like the way my clothing looks, I love my Converse, I have several pairs. I love my skinny jeans, they are comfortable, do I have to wear black ones? Absolutely! Because its my preference! Do I wear a bracelet every day? Yep, its got a Duck Commander duck band on it I got from their warehouse in West Monroe, LA. Do I wear a necklace everyday? Yep, a very special person happens to have the other half of it hanging from their truck mirror. Do I wear dark makeup? Yep, because I can pull it off and I look damn good with it! But while you're only looking at the surface of me instead of what's beneath; Do you notice when I wear Wranglers and Ariats 5 out of 7 days of the week? Do you notice when I put that Southern Belle curl in my hair with natural makeup? Do you notice I drive a truck? Do you notice that I love to fish and hunt just as much as I love to play video games and read comics? Do you notice that I listen to more country than I do rap?
Now I don't owe anyone an explanation for what I do with my body or why I do it, in fact no one does! But I wanted to share this experience to show everyone, that it is OK to define yourself with clothing, your vehicle and your hobbies! If those are things you enjoy then by all means don't let anyone stop you! But when you're done defining yourself on the outside, don't forget to look on the inside!
The inside of what sort of person you are, how you treat other people, do you contribute to society as a respectful human being? Self worth goes much deeper than what you can show on the outside. At the end of the day my truck doesn't mean a thing, I could hate that truck, but its what I can afford to drive. I could hate every piece of clothing in my closet, but its better than what orphaned children are forced to wear. I may even hate my converse, but the lacing over my ankles provides comfort and support when I need to stand or walk for long periods of time. Do you see what I'm getting at? If you don't then you need to reread this and take a look at yourself and the way you judge people around you. So many people force themselves to be someone they're not whether it be "country, skater, hipster, emo, alternative, redneck, city slick or southern," all to find somewhere to fit into the world.
You don't need to find a place to fit. If you want to wear boots and jeans and play video games, then go right on ahead, if you want to load up a fishing pole and tackle in your sports coupe and go fishing, then you go right on ahead! The only thing people can do is judge you and we all know a higher power is judging them.
Be yourself!
Be unique!
And be Straight Southern but, only if you want too! *wink*